Brighton challenge for husband and wife team

A husband and wife team from Bedford are taking on the Brighton Marathon to help find a cure for children facing a muscle-wasting disease.

Emma and Ross Murray, both 31, are running on April 9 to raise awareness and money for Harrison’s Fund after their best friend’s son, Nardo, was diagnosed with the disease Duchenne two years ago.

Emma, a teacher at Bedford School said: “When Nardo was diagnosed we were all devastated for the family and vowed to support them in anyway we could.

“John and Marie decided they wanted to raise money for Harrison’s Fund so we helped to organise a wine tasting last October which raised £3,000 but we wanted to do something more ourselves.

“I’ve run a bit in the past, completing 10km races for charity before but never a full marathon, so this really is a big challenge for me. Together we hope to raise £2,000.”

Harrison’s Fund is named after the 10-year-old Harrison Smith from Surrey who was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a rare genetic condition which affects all the muscles in the body, causing them to waste away.

Harrison’s Fund’s goal is to get as much money as possible into the hands of the world’s best researchers, who are working to find a cure for Duchenne. The charity is currently funding 12 research projects in the US and the UK.

The Brighton Marathon is one of the UK’s favourite 26.2-milers, with a stunning backdrop of the sea, and was founded by former international athlete Tim Hutchings and by former Brighton club athlete, Tom Naylor.

Heather Smith, fundraiser at Harrison’s Fund, said: “It’s great to have the Murrays on Team Harrison. Every penny raised by people like Emma and Ross help us to get that one step closer to unlocking the science behind this devastating disease and one step closer to a cure for Harrison, Nardo and the thousands of boys like them, racing against the clock.”

To support Emma and Ross visit https://brightonmarathon2017.everydayhero.com/uk/emma-and-ross-murray